Workshop on "Energy and Materials Criticality"

Magnetic materials play a key role in numerous energy related technologies, including power generation,conditioning, conversion and transportation. These energy related applications are only allowed because of the unique properties a special group of magnetic materials that includes permanent magnets, soft magnetic materials and magnetocaloric materials. Two of these important materials (permanent magnets and magnetocaloric materials) contain rare earths (Nd(Pr), Dy(Tb), Sm, Gd and La) which are considered to be critical materials because of their short supply (they are also exclusively mined in China). The aim of this Workshop is to bring together the few world reknown scientists and engineers to discuss current worldwide research on the reduction, substitution and recycling of these critical magnetic materials and encourage international collaborations and interactions that would lead to a significant decrease of our dependence on critical materials.Permanent magnets are indispensable for many commercial and future clean technology applications. Major commercial applications include the electric, electronic and automobile industries, communications, information technologies and automatic control engineering. Virtually in every application, an increase in the magnetic energy density of the magnet, usually presented via the maximum energy product (BH)max, immediately leads to smaller, lighter and more energy efficient devices. For the most advanced applications the high energy magnets of Nd-Fe-B and Sm-Co are being used. Furthermore, the windmill and hybrid electric car applications require magnets with better stability at a relatively high operating temperature (>120 oC). At this time, this can only be done with the addition of heavy rare earth elements (Dy, Tb) which are among the most scarce rare earth elements. Therefore, it is very important in the short term to develop Dy-free high performance Nd-Fe-B magnets and in the long term, rare earth-lean/free magnets from abundant low cost elements. Magnetic refrigeration is a very attractive and novel solid state energy efficient cooling technique alternative to traditional gas compression refrigeration. Cooling arises from large entropic changes induced upon magnetization and demagnetization. Unfortunately, the current most promising materials that show a large magneto-caloric response and whose working temperature is close to room temperature contain also rare earth critical metals such as Gd and/or La. New materials should be investigated that do not contain the critical rare earth elements.In both of the materials discussed above, there is considerable waste during processing and/or at the final product because of machining to special shapes. More advanced manufacturing techniques must be developed to prepare magnets to special shapes and reduce significantly the waste. Advance recycling devices should also be made to facilitate the low cost disassembly of magnets from end-of-life products. Workshop Location:This two day Workshop will be held on the Greek Island of Santorini, on August 22-25, 2013 just before the JEMS2013 Conference to be held on the Island of Rhodes on August 25-30, 2013.Organizers: George Hadjipanayis (Chairman), Oliver Gutfleisch (Co-Chairman)Contact: George Hadjipanayis (hadji@udel.edu)